ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) G835 vs ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) GU606
The short answer
- ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) GU606 is the cheaper of the two at the price its maker announced: INR 449,990 against INR 699,990.
Compared only on figures both makers publish. Everything else is in the table below.
2 phones side by side.
| Specification |
 ROG Strix SCAR 18 (2026) G835
₹6,99,990launch price
|
 ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) GU606
₹4,49,990launch price
|
|---|---|---|
| Placement | ||
| At its price | Not assessed | Not assessed |
| Spec index | — | — |
| Key Specs | ||
| RAM | 32GB or 64GB DDR5-6400, up to 128GB | 32GB or 64GB LPDDR5X-8533 |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 290HX Plus | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 386H |
| Battery | 90WHrs, 4-cell Li-ion | 90WHrs, 4-cell Li-ion |
| Display | 18-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) Mini LED, 240Hz | 16-inch 2.5K (2560 x 1600) OLED, 240Hz |
| Graphics | Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 24GB GDDR7 | Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, 24GB GDDR7 |
| Storage | Up to 8TB (4TB + 4TB) PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD in RAID 0 | Up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
| General | ||
| Launch Date | January 2026 (announced at CES 2026) | January 2026 (announced at CES 2026) |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home / Windows 11 Pro |
| Colours | Off Black | — |
| Series | ROG Strix SCAR | ROG Zephyrus |
| Model Number | G835LWG / G835LXG | GU606 |
| Performance | ||
| Chipset | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 290HX Plus | Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 386H |
| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, 36MB cache | Intel Core Ultra 9 386H with Intel NPU up to 50 TOPS |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (ROG Boost 1550MHz at 175W) or RTX 5090 (ROG Boost 1647MHz at 175W) Laptop GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, RTX 5070, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5080 or RTX 5090 Laptop GPU |
| RAM | 32GB or 64GB | 32GB or 64GB |
| RAM Type | DDR5 SO-DIMM | LPDDR5X, soldered |
| Cores | 24 cores, 24 threads | 16 cores, 16 threads |
| Expandable Memory | Up to 128GB (64GB + 64GB), user upgradeable | Not expandable, memory soldered to the mainboard |
| RAM Speed | 6400 MT/s | 8533 MT/s |
| Graphics Memory | 16GB GDDR7 (RTX 5080) or 24GB GDDR7 (RTX 5090) | 8GB, 12GB, 16GB or 24GB GDDR7 |
| Clock Speed | 2.7 GHz, up to 5.5 GHz | 2.1 GHz, up to 4.9 GHz |
| Display | ||
| Display Type | ROG Nebula HDR Mini LED with G-Sync and MUX Switch | ROG Nebula HDR OLED with G-Sync, MUX Switch, anti-reflection coating, Pantone Validated |
| Screen Size | 18-inch (45.72 cm) | 16-inch (40.64 cm) |
| Resolution | 4K (3840 x 2400, WQUXGA) | 2.5K (2560 x 1600, WQXGA) |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Brightness | 1600 nits peak brightness, over 2000 dimming zones | 1100 nits peak brightness |
| Refresh Rate | 240Hz | 240Hz |
| Colour Gamut | 100% DCI-P3 | — |
| Design | ||
| Height | 29.8 cm | 24.6 cm |
| Width | 39.9 cm | 35.4 cm |
| Thickness | 2.35 ~ 3.50 cm | 1.49 ~ 1.79 cm |
| Weight | 3.70 ~ 3.73 kg | 1.85 ~ 1.95 kg (4.08 ~ 4.30 lbs) |
| Backlit Keyboard | Yes, per-key RGB | Yes, 1-zone RGB |
| Keyboard | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard Per-Key RGB with Num-key | Backlit Chiclet Keyboard 1-Zone RGB with Copilot key |
| Touchpad | Touchpad | Touchpad |
| Build Material | — | Aluminium chassis |
| Storage | ||
| Storage Type | PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD, RAID 0 | PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD |
| Internal Storage | 2TB + 2TB or 4TB + 4TB | Up to 2TB |
| Storage Slots | 2x M.2 slots | 2x M.2 PCIe slots |
| Expandable Storage | Up to 8TB (4TB + 4TB), user upgradeable | — |
| Battery | ||
| Capacity | 90WHrs | 90WHrs |
| Type | 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion | 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion |
| Power Adapter | 450W AC adapter, output 21V DC, 21.45A | 250W AC adapter, output 20V DC, 12.5A |
| Charging | — | USB Type-C charging up to 100W |
| Ports & Connectivity | ||
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 6.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) triple band 2x2 | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) triple band 2x2 |
| Audio Jack | 1x 3.5mm audio jack | 1x 3.5mm audio jack |
| USB Type-C | No | No |
| Thunderbolt | 2x Thunderbolt 5 | 1x Thunderbolt 4 |
| HDMI | 1x HDMI 2.1 FRL | 1x HDMI 2.1 |
| USB Type-A | 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, up to 10Gbps | 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A |
| Ethernet | 1x 2.5G LAN port | — |
| Card Reader | — | SD card reader |
| Multimedia | ||
| Audio Features | Dolby Atmos, AI noise-cancelling | Dolby Atmos, AI noise-cancelling |
| Speakers | 4-speaker system | 4-speaker system with dual-force woofer and 2 tweeters, Smart Amplifier Technology |
| Webcam | 1080p FHD IR camera for Windows Hello | 1080p FHD IR camera for Windows Hello |
| Microphone | Built-in array microphone | Built-in array microphone |
| Features | ||
| Operating System Edition | Windows 11 Pro | Windows 11 Home / Windows 11 Pro |
| Security | Firmware TPM, BIOS password protection | Secured-core PC (Level 3), Microsoft Pluton security processor, BIOS administrator and user password protection |
| In the Box | ROG backpack, ROG Fusion II 300 headset, ROG Impact Gaming Mouse | ROG Zephyrus G16 Sleeve (2026) |
| Cooling | ROG Intelligent Cooling with end-to-end vapour chamber, sandwiched heatsink and Tri-Fan Technology | ROG Intelligent Cooling |